“What the hell is that?”

Matthew ignored Ethan’s grumble, fast to lean on the car’s seat, watching with hopeful eyes the now visible south coast. Shamira let out a little bark, her tail swaying. He laughed silently, ignoring how his uncle drove with a frown.

“That… is them.”

Ethan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, hearing well the echoing hum, too synchronized and beautiful to be human. It even seemed to vibrate slightly in the air, even from so far away.

“It’s like the call of a damn siren.”

Matthew gave Ethan a look, noticing well his wariness. He did not trust fully in this, not even if he had agreed to take him to the beach.

“They are merfolk, Ethan. Their voices are different and perhaps peculiar sometimes, but that does not mean they can lure people with it.“

The car finally made a turn and neared the southern coast. The small road they were following trailed the eastern side of the cay, beginning at the northern docks. They were not able to go through the path that Matthew used to cross, because it was too small and surrounded by trees. This road was not any better, but the car could fit in it and endure the bumps. It took them a longer while than if they had walked through the woods, but they soon reached their objective: the familiar beach came to view.

Both blinked, because Kalani chirped on Ethan’s shoulder and Shamira let out a disappointed whine. As soon as they reached the southern beach, the humming came to a halt.

Matthew felt his heart sink a little, for hearing the two calling had made it beat fast. To hear them fall silent was like seeing them leave. Ethan did not like the sudden silence either; it felt eerie, a strong contrast with the previous faint singing.

Both stared at the waves at their left, still far from the stairs that led to the shore. The car was bouncing from time, but Matthew could not care less, almost standing to try to take a peek over the rocks between the sand and land.

“Sit.”

Matthew gasped, because Ethan pushed him down onto his seat with one hand. He could have hit his head with all the bumps on the road, his ankle not helping his balance any. A tense silence reigned for two long minutes, in which they left behind tall flat ridges where he once got soaked.

Eventually, the car began to slow down, and soon pulled over. Both frowned, because the road ended abruptly without reaching the centre of the southern beach, where the stairs were. There was only a small rocky ledge. Ethan would have disapproved of accessing the beach through it. But those hazel eyes were full of hope and anxiousness, dying to just near the sand already, no matter how.

“The things I do…”

Matthew fidgeted while Ethan turned off the engine and jumped out. He took his time to go to the other side of the car, opening his door slowly. Shamira bounced out quickly, while Matthew doubted as Ethan commanded with a nod.

“Come on, I will help you.” He would assist him in getting down the car and the small ledge. “But as soon as we are on the sand, I want you to keep a distance from the water.”

“They won’t-“

“Do you want to see them or not?”

There was an impatient and exasperated tone in his voice; Ethan was trying to invoke all his self-control to not drag him back home. The sound of the waves unnerved him, the sun was concealed by a cloudy sky. Those two were certainly around, somewhere.

Matthew resigned to his distrust, unable to convince him, not until he saw too. Ethan helped him get out of the car, closing the door behind him. He could not avoid sighing, because his uncle was holding him rather zealously, like if he could not walk by himself towards the ledge.

Soon, he did need his help, however. He did not complain when Ethan stood onto the rocks and carefully led him past them. A couple of steps did make him hiss, and it did not fail to cause a few disapproving glares. Luckily, he was not forced to go back to the car due to it. In two minutes, they stood on the sand, finally down the ledge. Ethan looked up worriedly at the ledge, hinting well his dislike in his tone.

“Later it will be harder to help you back up.”

Matthew ignored that comment. Ethan growled in exasperation, seeing him walk, or more like limp away from him. He was heading towards the water, hurriedly.

“Matthew, what did I say?”

Matthew did halt. Ethan soon found out it had not been due to obedience, he had not done it for him. He stopped for another reason. The brunet stood frozen, some distance away from the water. His breath fastened, slightly troubled. His hazel eyes were fixed on two things, faint in the distance.

It took one more minute for Ethan to spot what Matthew was contemplating. And he did not know what to think when he did see it… or better said, them.

Matthew took two more steps towards the waves, not because Ethan was too taken aback to scold him for doing so. He found himself nearing because he saw two fins sway closer to the shore. They approached each other slowly, both sides worried to no end. They had waited for this, yet they still dreaded it. Bright eyes emerged slowly from the water, staring sadly as he sat slowly with a frown. There was a painful shakiness in his expression, and Shamira was fast to pad to his side in worry.

A merman did nothing to stop a mermaid when she bolted forward, both seeing clearly that he was still hurt. Iara brushed off the fact that there was a second human near, she ignored the strange thing that she knew was called a car. She could not be wary right now; she would not doubt and be nervous like Alon was. Matthew was finally near, at reach. She was finally able to see that he was safe. Now she could apologize for what she did to him.

Matthew could not bring himself to move like Iara and Alon did. She crawled fiercely out of the water, fast to kick her tail to reach him. Her expression was hopeful and sad at the same time, like his.

“Matt…!”

“H-hello Ia-“

He could not finish her name. Matthew huffed a little, and Shamira barked and leaned away. Iara literally leapt to hold him, almost making him fall backwards. Alon had crawled as well out of the water, more slowly; now he was watching warmly how she nuzzled herself against the brunet.

“I was so worried!”

“Ia, y-you are squishing me. I’m fi-“

“Your ankle is still hurt! I’m sorry!”

“I-it’s not your-“

“I told you he was delaying for a good reason.”

Matthew smiled more, because Alon was now at his side too; he gently pulled at her to make her let go a little, to let him breathe more freely. His black tail swayed on the sand as he looked softly at them both, his voice full of relief.

“I’m glad to see you are doing better, Matthew.”

Considering how he was in those ruins, he had to be. The cuts were healed, unseen. Iara frowned when Matthew spoke next, because he did not acknowledge at all that she was the one to cause those injuries.

“I’m okay. Thanks to you, that is.” Matthew sighed, shaking his head tiredly. “I’m sorry for taking days to come back.”

Iara growled and swatted his good leg, her azure eyes showing annoyance for his words.

“Don’t apologize.” He glared at her too, both defiant. “I am the reason you were almost killed. I don’t know much about human treatment of wounds, but I know for sure that you are more fragile. You couldn’t just go find us like that. You can’t even walk right yet.”

Alon intervened again, scolding Iara with a look, his hands laying gently on both. He also nudged her tail off, seeing it tangle around Matthew, like if he could disappear.

“Now, calm down. He is okay. We are alright; we got out of that mess.” Iara looked down, avoiding looking at their eyes. “We don’t need to argue about those things anymore.”

“After what I did, I can’t understand how you two can-“

Iara flinched and stopped whispering her regrets, feeling a sudden touch. She slowly raised her gaze, only to see Matthew brushing her neck carefully, almost angry.

“You have scars.”

The mermaid clenched her teeth, because the human was inspecting sadly the marks the parasite left, all her neck scarred in red. In his eyes, her scars were worse than the ones he got in that night.

Iara shook a little, hating to see him only show worry for her, no hint of wariness or resent. Matthew and Alon sighed and pulled her close, because she bowed her head and let out a growled breath, refusing to cry. She just embraced them too, feeling them tremble as well, both having felt fear as well.

Her tail curled between them as Matthew closed his eyes, both letting Alon pull them both against him. Shamira stared calmly while the three hugged with troubled breaths, still haunted by what they went through. Its burden was still there, unable to be lifted with words. No words would make things better, only their hold. They just needed to stay close, feel each other’s heartbeats. They did not wish for the moment to end… but it did.

“You two, let go of him, right now.”

Matthew opened his eyes with a gasp, having forgotten. He was disappointed to feel strong arms let go of him slowly; Alon cowered and shied as Ethan marched to them, commanding with just a glare. While he backed off in both fear and respect, Iara stood her ground.

In seconds, a standoff started. Iara grumbled like Ethan did, her arms quick to pull Matthew against her, making him yelp. She showed her fangs in an angry hiss, which did not help invoke any trust for her tight hold.

“Who are you to boss us around, human?!”

“His family, you damn siren. Back off from him.”

Matthew and Alon tried to speak; one raised his hands nervously with a whisper, while the other tried to say something under the fierce hold that squished him.

“Iara, please, let go for a moment and lets-“

“Ethan, I told you already that they are not-!”

They were silenced, because the other two began to growl more. Ethan leaned closer to Iara with hands clenched, as ready as her tail was. Shamira snatched Kalani in her mouth and backed off, seeing trouble miles away.

“I would never hurt him!” A flash of shame crossed her eyes for a second, only to go away as she affirmed. “We took him back to you!”

“And you took him away too, you bloody fish. I know what you did.”

Her hold on Matthew seemed to loosen, her firmness shattering subtly. Those words were a blow that hurt her confidence. Ethan smiled and towered, seeing her whisper doubtfully.

“I was only trying to-“

“Enough!”

Both gasped, because Matthew was finally able to escape her hold, yelling at them both in anger. He first pointed at Ethan with his only hand, teeth showing as he cursed.

“Stop blaming them already! Fuck, I told you everything, Ethan! Don’t make me regret it, not after hearing you promise you would listen and be quiet!” Iara trembled a little, because Matthew grasped her arm next, speaking more softly yet still firmly. “You, I’m getting fed up with the guilt bullshit. I had enough with Alon whining about his words. Seriously, I thought you were strong enough to push it away sooner than him! You were not even aware of your actions, for fucks sake!”

Both the mermaid and tall human fell silent, unable to meet his reproving glares. Ethan took a step back with a snarl, while Iara curled her tail away with a shaky sigh.

Matthew was glad to see that Alon seemed to push away his apprehension towards Ethan, at least momentarily. He crawled to their side once more, decisively, looking at the huge sailor. His silver eyes met his wary ones as he spoke respectfully, showing his determination through his firm stance. His assertive tone helped ease the tension slightly.

“Sir, I know we might not seem trustful, considering what we are; and I know that if Matthew has told you what has happened, there might be more reason to be wary of us. But I can say that if you know everything… then you know we have no intention of hurting him. We would never do such a thing. Not willfully.”

Shamira’s ears lowered, both merfolk tensed, and Matthew waited nervously… because all saw how Ethan took a breath that made him even bigger, glaring down with judging eyes. He seemed to ponder deeply, silently.

Even Matthew feared that Ethan would yell, force some distance between them. He would succeed, easily. Alon and Iara would not dare to struggle and fight someone he cared for. To everyone’s surprise, however, the man suddenly huffed and looked down at the sand. His voice was angry but less furious.

“I’ll wait in the car.” Matthew blinked and the merfolk fidgeted, seeing Ethan bolt around, commanding faintly while he walked back to the ledge. “Give me a bloody call when you are done. Don’t take too long, hear me?”

Iara and Alon exchanged looks, one more nervous than the other. Ethan was giving them one last glare, which told them: try anything and I will have bait for weeks. On the other hand, Matthew smiled sadly, having seen the resignation and acceptance in him. His uncle understood they were not a menace, and so, climbed the ledge without looking back.

The three sat there awkwardly, only the sound of the waves around them now. The two animals were just staring at them, a parrot leaning curiously on a dog’s head, both calm and silent. And in that silence, the three began to look everywhere, suddenly not knowing what to say. It took a while, but eventually, Matthew was the one to speak. He did so with a haunted look in his eyes. His voice echoed as grim as the cloudy sky, barely heard between the waves.

“Is it really over?”

They looked into his eyes, frowning sadly. They could see that he feared, but not for himself. He was worried for them, dreading that those things were still around in the water. He still wondered if she could be hurt, if he could be targeted resentfully. Alon was the one to answer, his tail brushing them both, assuring that they truly saw it end.

“I can promise it is over.”

He thought that would calm Matthew, make him feel better. It did bring calmness… but it was an eerie one; his hazel eyes rose to meet theirs, his voice tangling with sorrow.

“Then this should be goodbye.”

Iara’s and Alon’s hands dropped, their gazes growing confused. Their tails suddenly trembled, fins shaking. Matthew had spoken faintly but without a doubt.

“What do you mean with-?“

“Goodbye? We just finally-“

Matthew gave them a firm stare, shaking his head, invoking all his self-restraint. He did not want his voice to break as he spoke facts.

“You should have left into the sea long ago. You are still here because of me.”

Alon just stared, while Iara just cursed under her breath. It really was a fact, as true as them being real. Their species travelled a lot, roamed the oceans, called by instinct. Something they were ignoring, unable to bring themselves to leave. They were pushing all away for him. They did not leave long ago because of what happened. But it was something they did not regret. Matthew snarled when they got out of their shock, leaning closer to him, affirming without hesitation.

“Damn right we are staying, Matt. I’m not leaving after what I did.”

“I won’t leave you behind. I made that mistake once, not again.”

With each word, Matthew’s heart shattered a little more. And he could not take it anymore. His voice did break now, their azure and silver eyes seeing angry tears in his hazel ones.

“Listen to yourselves, guys.” Matthew motioned at them both, arguing, unable to accept their standpoint. “You two can’t stay here, you need to leave. Now you have seen I’m fine. I’m alright, I will be; you have saved me. You have no more reason to worry! Alon, you have a family, I know it. You need to go back. You-“

“They will understand, I-“

“N-no, Alon… How will they understand if you don’t go to them?” Now he knew how he had made Ethan feel, and he did not wish it on anyone else. “Go, leave. You could come back once a year. Maybe, sometimes. You two need to-”

“I don’t need to leave, Matt.” He growled, because Iara was more vocal than Alon; her tail slammed down as she raised her voice. “I’m staying in these waters. I don’t have relatives to go back to. I have no reason to leave.”

“You do.” Matthew was now whispering, mourning. “Ia, you are a spirited urchin… I know that. You need to move on.”

“That does not matter, I can-“

“It does.” Both merfolk fell silent, for he voiced another painful fact. “It does matter; I can’t go into the waters again. I’m only human. You would be bound to the shore like I am.”

It was the first time Matthew managed to win an argument against Iara. The mermaid ran short of words, the fact that he was human stabbing deep. She still remembered the pain of changing, the horrible decision of bringing magic between them. She couldn’t imagine it again.

Matthew snorted bitterly, looking slowly at those sad silver eyes, begging.

“Alon, please, bring some sense to her. It’s over. You have to leave. For a while.”

Or forever; that would certainly hurt less, only having to see them leave once. His heart would not be able to stand multiple farewells.

Alon could see how impotent she felt, unable to argue. So he did instead, shielding her once more. Matthew shrunk under his sharp glare, his refutal strong.

“No, I agree with her this time.” His chest puffed out as he took a trembling breath, his fangs showing while he voiced his ultimatum. “We are not leaving, no matter what.”

“B-but-“

“Don’t try to argue with me, Matthew. I won’t change my mind.”

The killer whale would have terrified any other at that moment: his sharp eyes were glaring darkly below his long black hair, his huge figure was shadowed by the grey clouds above, and his voice was almost growled. But he couldn’t scare Matthew. His stance just made him let out a faint sob and bow his head, always able to see the care and worry, the dreadful protectiveness in him.

The air seemed to flow colder, the sun slowly falling down, just like the human’s tears. His hazel eyes closed, crying silently as a mermaid decided to hold him. A merman looked away sadly, even if his tail wrapped them both closer, moving them slightly on the sand. Both were very mindful of a pained ankle.

The three cried there, uncertain. They tried to not think, focus on their trembling hold, feeling a barrier in between them once more.

The waves were each day growing colder, less pleasant to swim in. But still, two wouldn’t leave. And it hurt him… all of them.